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Knitting Needle/Crochet Hook Storage Idea

My Etsy

Knit & Crochet

December 27, 2009

I had completed the body, head/face and only needed to make 2 arms, 2 legs, and 2 ears.

Once I had all the pieces done, I just had to assemble.

Voila! My MIL named her Betty.

Betty proved to be very adventurous and promptly started exploring.

Since it was late, Betty didn't get very far before wanting to be tucked in.

But, in the morning (this morning), she was up early and moving about.

I finally found her outside and tucked her away into a gift bag to be opened later.

I enjoyed some coffee in a mug hubby and I gave his mom. They are from Starbucks and have a pretty, bright red finish on the inside.

I had plans with hubby's fam (his sister and her fam drove in late Christmas night from out of town) to do a lunch later, so I kept breakfast light with an egg and cheese biscuit and piece of chicken sausage.

Post-breakfast, we had another round of gift-opening for hubby's sis' fam.

Betty found her new friend, Cami (in the red dress), and will be going home with her.

November 22, 2009

Hubby and I headed to Durham to see his mom for her birthday Friday night.

We stopped by Cracker Barrel on the way. I got Chicken and Dumplings with corn and greens.

I only managed to eat about half my entire plate. Guess I ate too much for lunch, eh? I did save room for one of their famous biscuits with some honey.

We got to my MIL's place later and hubby made nice with the dogs before we headed off to bed.

On Saturday morning, we had a nice eggs and bacon breakfast - I also had a half english muffin.

Though I had a cup of coffee in the morning, I asked hubby to stop by Copa Vida. I had the best latte ever there awhile back and vowed that this, along with dim sum, would be one of the spots I tried to hit up each time we were in town.

I love Copa Vida for the coffee and for the fact that they use as much local as possible, which includes milk from a local creamery - Homeland Creamery.

Turns out they were out of HC whole milk, so I went skim to stick with the local milk. It was very good, but I missed my whole milk! I'll be back, though. Hopefully, they have it next time. Oh and PS I found out this business is family owned. Love that!

Next, we hit up Barnes & Noble

I took my coffee in and cracked open a Clif Kid Zbar in Honey Graham whilst browsing the craft books. Ahh...How I LOVE craft books! I think I like looking at them more than actually using them sometimes! lol

The yarn, Sugar 'n Cream, is made with cotton grown in the US. It's apparently made in Canada, which seems kind of weird...why not grow and make in one place? But anywho, the yarn was affordable and I liked how it was 100% cotton.

I started a new project.

And snacked on some dates before heading out to the movies.

Me, hubby, my MIL, and hubby's brother went to see The Blind Side. Wow, what a great and inspirational movie! Has anyone else seen it? What did you think?

After the movie, we hit up Fuddruckers.

I got a "suicide" to drink. Did anyone else drink those when they were kids? A "suicide" is a drink, which is made when you have a self-serve soda machine and you just mix up a bunch of different sodas. For some reason, I always think of getting them at Fuddruckers. Call it tradition.

For dinner, I had a kid's meal - small burger (topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, ketchup, and mustard) & small fries. I actually am getting more and more skeeved out by buffet style restaurants and all the toppings here are served buffet style - you get to pick your own. So, once I had topped my burger, I was off to the restroom to wash my hands. I know...I'm weird like that.

I didn't quite manage to finish mine, but hubby helped me out with the burger, thank goodness! Sheesh, I can't even eat a kid's meal!

My meal came with a cookie, so I got chocolate chip.

When we got home, I was back to crocheting...I started a new project, though.

My MIL made her own birthday cake. She insisted. She made a margarita cake topped with defrosted-frozen strawberries and a pretzel crust. I was too stuffed from dinner to have any.

In the AM on Sunday, I slept in till 9:30am and then had some coffee upon waking up - this is my fave mug at my MIL's house - the snowflake mug.

After our late brunch, hubby blew his mom's leaves off the front yard and then we were off.

On the way back, I knew I'd need some food before getting home, but after much searching on my iPhone, I couldn't find any healthy options! wth! So hard to eat healthy on the road when you haven't packed your own snacks! Grr...

Luckily, I remembered that Starbucks has some pretty healthy options and I knew where one was on the way home.

We swung by and picked up some ice water and a tall coffee...

...and a breakfast sammie with turkey bacon, egg white, and cheese on a whole wheat english muffin. I think I saw a flaxseed in my muffin! I wanted the spinach feta wrap, but they were out, so this one hit the spot. I wasn't terribly hungry, so this worked out great!

January 20, 2009

Since I had Monday off and had planned to spend Saturday out of town, I met up with bloggie buddy, April, and her daughter, Bella, Monday afternoon for some crafty shopping and a delicious lunch.

First, we hit up a fabric store where I was really good! I latched onto a bolt of this yummy floral pattern with bright pinks, turquoises, greens, and yellows that were all toned down by a pastel pink background. I carried the bolt around the store for about 15 minutes before finally caving into the realization that I was, indeed, going to buy some (been trying to not buy craft supplies lately). I also picked up 10 fat quarters of some super pretty vintage-y fabric that I think will work well with the fabrics I'm collecting for my quilt!

Next, we hit up a glass shop where they sold stained glass, lampwork beads, and other glass craft materials. I didn't buy anything here...phew! I wanted to, though. :)

Next, it was time for lunch! April and I both share a love for this home-town joint, Henry's, which will always have, to me, the world's best BBQ. April and I got the same thing - Regular BBQ sandwich plate with cole slaw and french fries. Mmm...

After lunch, we hit up ABC (Atlanta Bread Company) for some hot cocoa. Bella was working on a hand-knit scarf. I totally forgot about how I used to do this all the time when I was a kid! I think the colors look great with her sweater and shirt.

April and I browsed her new collections of magazines - the new Knit Simple and a Quilting magazine with "lots of easy project". We noted that these "relaxing" projects were far from what we would consider relaxing, but I've only ever made one quilt, so maybe they are marketing this towards die-hard quilt fanatics? April worked on a baby hat for a friend and I worked on my scarf for my mom's b-day. We got a lot of good work done and had a blast in the process! Thanks, April, for the fun day! Let's do that again some time soon!

I finally finished my Misti Chunky Ribs & Ruffles Scarf WIP! Just in time to give to my mom for her b-day, too!

Above are some more in-process photos. I worked on this here and there over the weekend. The yarn is so plush and a dream to work with. I loved seeing all the different colors of the handpaint showing through here and there. The browns would transition to the most vibrant turquoise...then to a pretty purple...then a hint of pink. The colors on this yarn are great!

And, here are some photos of the completed work. Phew! I barely finished this on time. No, seriously, I was working the last row (of the regular pattern) as my parents were pressing me to go, saying "It's going to snow later, you guys better get on the road." Then, I had to hit up Youtube.com to figure out how to knit in the front and back of a stitch, but found a great video by Knitwitch (I think that's their user name). I knitted up the last 2 rows (of ruffle) and hid the tails and voila! Project complete. B-day present? Check! I happily gave mom her new scarf and we hit the road to head on home.

January 18, 2009

Yesterday, I did something completely stupid and idiotic that seems to be a bit of a trend for me from time to time. See, we had been planning for awhile to visit my parents this weekend to hang out with my mom for her birthday. A couple weeks ago, I got an invite for a baby shower for my sorority sister, Courtney, and the location would be about an hour and a half away from my parent's house, so I planned that Saturday would be my baby-shower day, and the rest of the weekend would be for my mom. Friday night, I stayed up till 1 am finishing those baby booties I've been working on for her gift. Saturday (yesterday), I got all gussied up, grabbed my new (guess it's not so new, but it still is to me) camera and headed out of town. I was so excited to see my friend, celebrate her new family, and be there when she opened her gift!

However, when I arrived at my destination, something seemed amiss. There were no other cars and no decorations indicating a special event was taking place. I got a sinking feeling that I had done something terribly wrong and double-checked my watch. Yes, it was almost exactly 2PM (the start time of the event). Did I have the wrong location? The wrong time? Why didn't I print that darned evite out, I wondered?! I gathered my camera and gift and headed up to the front door anyways. I had been to this house before for Courtney's wedding reception. It was her mom's house, so I felt comfortable with the fact that I was most likely about 5 seconds from making a total ass out of myself. When Courtney's mom opened the front door, I timidly asked if I was at the right location for her baby shower, and she regretfully told me that the shower was Sunday. Oh no, I thought to myself...not again! Her mom was very nice about everything and clearly felt terrible for me, but I was mostly just mad at myself and felt like a complete moron. See, I don't know why, but I seem to do this kind of thing all the time! I show up to appointments at 3PM, when they're supposed to be at 2PM. I go to the wrong places. I just mess it all up somehow. I haven't done something like this in awhile, but I guess I messed up pretty good this time, eh?

I handed Courtney's mom Courtney's baby shower gift and explained that I may not be able to make it on Sunday, since I was supposed to be spending the weekend with my mom and may possibly have to go back home (I have Monday off, but wasn't sure when we were leaving). About 5 minutes after I left, Courtney called me and she said she was so sorry that I had gone all the way there and she didn't get to see me. She also said that she would be really excited to see me Sunday if I could make it, but totally understood if I couldn't. She was really sweet about everything and it made me feel 10 times better. After I got off the phone with her, I gassed up my car, got some snacks, hit up the rest room and turned around to head back home. I had the whole car ride to think about what a stupid mistake I'd just made, but it was all washed away when I saw Bailey waiting in the window for me when I got back.

Btw, the baby booties are the Hot Step pattern in the Candy Crochet book. These are supposed to be bears, but I think they look more like monkeys.

After my little misadventure, I decided I needed some retail therapy. I wanted to get something fun, but not too expensive. Maybe something for my kitchen since I just cleared out all those old plates and what not. Mom and I went to Pier 1 first and I was sadly disappointed to not find one single thing there I wanted to get. I looked at the mugs, the plateware, the placemats, the table cloths, the pillows...nothing! Next, we hit up Macy's, thinking surely Martha would pull through with something from her Marth Stewart collection. Again, I didn't see a thing. Fiiinally, Williams Sonoma pulled through for me with the most amazing deal I've seen in a long time. I got two sets of a 4-pack of placemats. I love the embroidery and the color will be perfect for when (if) we host Thanksgiving.

I had to do a serious double-take when I saw the price tag. $5.49 down from $59?! I thought they had typoed the price and had to check a couple other sets to verify.

I found one 4-pack of semi-matching napkins. I'll call them "coordinating". :)

I had to do another double-take on this price tag, as well. $3.49 down from $39. I have to wonder, though, who buys this stuff at full price? I guess I may consider it if it were for a very special occasion?

My final most-awesome deal I got was this box of Godiva chocolates...50% off! Hubby and I used to do this trick all the time when we started dating and were just waiting tables. We'd go to the Godiva shop the day (or days) after a holiday and sure enough, they'd have the holiday-wrapped chocolates half off. Same delicious chocolate...old decoration. We didn't care what the box looked like...we just wanted the candy!

I've also been wanting to get a box of chocolates to re-create a little something I learned in France. See, I did an exchange to France in high school and stayed with a French family, and every night, after dinner, they would open this gigantic box of chocolates, and we would each have one, maybe two, pieces. The poor family probably had no clue what a raging sweet-tooth I was, eying their box of chocolates from the other side of the room, mouth watering with the taste of a single piece of chocolate still melting away on my tongue, still wanting to tear into that box of chocolates gobbling down every last piece. But, I refrained. :) Eventually, I learned that a single piece of chocolate actually makes a rather awesome dessert - one that is decadent without being too over-the-top. One that fulfills my sweet-tooth without making me feel terribly over-stuffed. And, one that I would like to enjoy again.

January 12, 2009

I started working on a gift for a good friend of mine on Saturday. I'm making baby booties for an upcoming baby shower. I'm making them with Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino. They are going to be special booties...you'll see.

See Bailey in the background playing it cool...uninterested...totally not paying attention to what I'm doing?

This is him about 5 minutes later. He starts at the opposite end of the couch and inches his way over. Eventually he ends up in my lap completely blocking me from my pattern and from being able to work on my project. He is such a goober!

January 10, 2009

Hubby took the dog out this am and let me sleep in...thank goodness because sleep seems to be the only thing that makes me feel better, and I do feel a little better today. I'm getting there! Mr. Chic took me out for a pancake breakfast (yum!) and then we did a quick stop at the grocery store so he could pick up some brews for the football game later today (Panthers vs. Cardinals).

For some reason, the restaurant from this AM was having problems with their water and they were not serving any coffees or teas or tap water. The food is fab there, so we stayed, but I needed some coffee still. Hubby got some gas station coffee from the place next door, but the food came out so fast, I almost didn't need it. In fact, the food got to our table before hubby got back with the coffee. The coffee was decent but by the time we got back, I craved a wee bit more caffeine, so I went for some black tea.

I originally wanted to pair some MateVana with some Rooibos Caramel, but I was out of the MateVana (note to self: get more MateVana next time you're at the mall), so I just went with a Thai Tea Blend. I got a lot of my teas (and all of my loose-leaf teas) from Teavana - do you have one of these places in your town? We got one a couple years ago and when I found out about the place, I went a little crazy and got about 6 tins of tea (plus accessories). I didn't get them all in one stop, but still!

After relaxing for the tea for a bit, I was off to hit up the yarn shop where I met up with the Charlotte Purls. I'm not a member (yet), but sweet Stacey welcomed me to join their event. Thanks hun!

I won a coupon for an additional 10% off my purchase today and used it to get some yarn for a couple projects I've been eying in the Debbie Bliss mag (the vintage pink Debbie Bliss baby cashmerino for the knee-high socks, and the Debbie Bliss luxury donegal tweed for the Lacy Scarf) and a ball of Mille Colore. A couple girls talked me out of the Blue Sky Organic Cotton and the Blue Sky Sport weight (that I eyed awhile back) balls of yarn, which was probably a good thing. Phew, with all this yarn and all these WIPs to finish, I'm going to be a busy girl!

January 05, 2009

Even though I woke up still feeling icky today, I went to work. I probably shouldn't have, but I always feel bad about staying home unless I have a doctor's note or something...even though my bosses have NEVER asked for one. Anywho, no cooking posts for tonight. I took photos of the easy "cheater" meal I make when I feel sick, don't have any food around, or don't feel like making anything - Egg Drop Soup, but I wasn't happy with the photos, so I think I'll save that for another day.

I actually finished it a long time ago...I just never photographed it for whatever reason.

I'd show you the matching scarf WIP, but alas, that is but a long, sad chain stitch.

In better progress-news, I have worked a few more rounds on my knit hat WIP tonight while I try to rest and recoop, now that it's all fixed thanks to Sandy. The yarn is thin and the needles are tee-niny, so it's a slow-moving project, but I'm hoping to have it done so I can wear it some time this winter. Cross your fingers.

January 02, 2009

I took today off to clean, organize, maybe do something I just feel like doing, and in general, work on getting my life back in order. I slept in till 10 am (woohoo!) and woke up to what appeared to be ruined pots and pans. Egads!

Do you see those stains and discoloration?! I almost freaked out. Hubby and I have been talking about how much we want to take good care of these pots and pans and for them to look like this after ONE use? Oh my!

Luckily, I referred to the documentation that came with the pots & pans (which, mind you, Hubby wanted to toss) and read that I could use one part vinegar to one part water to soak in the pots and pans to remove such spotting and discoloration. Well, much to my relief, it worked! Phew...that was close. Let's hope we don't have to do this every time we use these pots and pans, though.

After not having to worry about the pots and pans, I went for breakfast. My favorite breakfast to eat, in general, is oatmeal. Well, that's not 100% true. I also love a good eggs, bacon, and hash browns kinda breakfast a whole lot, too, but I like that one when I want a really big breakfast. All that food tends to be a bit heavy on the tummy, so when I'm wanting something filling that is healthy, light, and good to give me lots of energy for the day, I always turn to oatmeal. For this AM, I made a modified version of Ellie Krieger's Cherry Vanilla Oatmeal. I used 1/4 cup quick cooking oats, 1/2 cup water, a handful of chopped, dried cherries, a pinch of flax seed, and a pinch of wheatberry pre-cooking. After, I stirred in a teaspoon of seedless strawberry jam (which I bought awhile back to make those cute cut-out cookies or thumbprint cookies), a dash of vanilla extract, and about 2 tablespoons of milk. Everything was delish, though, I wish I had some slivered almonds to top off the oatmeal.

After breakfast, I headed to Charlotte Yarn to see if someone could perform emergency life saving techniques on my knit hat WIP. I brought it with me on the Christmas trips in hopes of getting a lot of work done on it (so I may actually be able to wear this hat this winter), but I had a hard stop on an error when I was supposed to purl 3 and I only had 2 stitches left on my needles for the round. Luckily, (really, really, really luckily) my fave instructor Sandy was able to fix my WIP and get me back on track. Phew...close one, again!

Of course, I found a few more things I'd like to buy while I was there, including this beautiful sportweight blue sky yarn...

Then, it was back home to eat lunch (a late lunch at 3PM). I had leftover collard greens, leftover black eye peas, leftover cornbread drizzled with honey, and a nice, hot cup of Green Tea Kombucha by Yogi Tea, to ward off the cold weather blues. Yogi Tea is quickly becoming my favorite brand of tea. So far, I've only tried 3 of their flavors, but I just signed up for a sample packet on their web site (here) to try some more. I can't wait till they're here!

Ok, I'm off to go "correct" my apartment, and by that, I mean clean/organize.

December 25, 2008

I took yesterday off from work to finish up some Christmas gifts and bake something for today's Christmas dinner with the fam. My day-off felt more like a day at work, except, this time, I was working in Santa's Workshop...lol.

I had another pair of those oven mitts to make. This time, I decided to use pre-quilted fabric to save some time.

I decided to make another change to the way these were sewn from the way the pattern instructed. Last time I made these, I found sewing the bottom hem as the last step (with the mitt sides already sewn together) extremely frustrating because it's hard to sew in a circle when the circle is so small. This time, after sewing the ric-rac onto the mitt halves, I sewed the bottom hem a 1/4 inch and then sewed the two oven halves together. I liked this method better since it was easier on my newbie-sewing-skills.

I also had time to draw and make some little hang tags.

I just love doodling, don't you?

The tags helped finish the oven mitt presentation so I just needed to add some tissue paper, a gift box, and some wrapping paper.

I also made a quick hang tag for that scarf, which I finished over Thanksgiving.

I hope she likes it!

Anywho, we just finished unwrapping presents and having Christmas brunch, so I'm off to take a much-needed relaxation break. I think I'll work on some of my other knitting WIP's or something. Ahhh...finally...a day off!

December 23, 2008

I worked a full day today (even though most people were off or leaving early at my office) and even had time to stop by the yarn shop (thank goodness for late night hours) to get emergency help from my favorite instructor, Sandy, on that broken piece of yarn on my WIP I mentioned the other day. Sandy simple pulled needle off my WIP, pulled the yarn off the scarf until we got the broken piece of yarn out, cut the break, picked the loops back up, and tied on a fresh piece of yarn.

She made everything look so simple, I felt sheepish for even asking her to help me, but I'm still basically a knitting-newbie, and Sandy is, thankfully, always happy to help. So, I have more tails to weave in now, but I won't have to worry about all my hard work going down the tube due to one small break in the yarn. Woohoo...now, I can proceed with my WIP without worry! Oh, and sorry for the blurry photo, but black yarn is insanely difficult to photograph!

Oh, and lookie what I got! I got a set of pots & pans from my mom - a belated wedding gift. Actually, she got them on time, but I was hoping to have a house by now to put my new pots & pans in and have been putting off taking them home and using them. Since it looks like we'll be in our little apartment for awhile and since my non-stick pans are getting scratched (and scratched non-stick is apparently unhealthy to use), I went ahead and got them. I can't wait to start playing with them! They're still sitting in their boxes in my ktichen right this very moment, but I am already planning to dig into them when we return from out-of-town. I've never used non-non-stick, so I hope I don't regret asking for stainless!

December 22, 2008

When I came to a hard stop on my dad's scarf, due to the broken yarn, I lucked out by having another ball of yarn, needles, and a pattern I found for free at the yarn manufacturer's web site, which I brought with me to my parent's house...juuuuust in case. With the pressure of finishing a Christmas gift off, I was able to look forward to starting a new knit WIP. Actually, I'm pretty proud to say that I taught my sister (the crocheter) how to knit this past Saturday, and she worked her garter stitches into the beginning of a scarf, while I started on my own scarf.

The yarn is Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Chunky - Baby Alpaca in the beautiful colorway, that I simply couldn't resist, called Havasu. At $21.95 per ball, the yarn was quite the splurge, but I did luck out by finding a scarf pattern on Misti Alpaca's web site for free that also looks super cute. The pattern is called Misti Chunky Ribs & Ruffles Scarf, which can be found here. I also rationalized the purchase of the uber-luxe yarn be deciding to make it for someone special who I think deserves only the best of the best. Can't say who yet...I haven't given it to them.

The baby alpaca yarn is so soft and amazing to work with and the pattern is shockingly simple. The pattern looks so much harder than it actually is - I highly recomend giving it a whirl, though you may want to see the finished product first, eh? Anywho, my fave thing about this yarn is the combination of colors. At first glance, the yarn looks quite neutral, but when you start working with it, you see briliant turquoises, deep purples, and even gentle pinks, in addition to the other lovely neutral colors. I probably won't be able to work on this project again until after the holidays (priorities, priorities), but I can't wait to see the finished product!

December 21, 2008

My sister and I met up with blog friend, April of theartchics (click), and her daughter, Bella, for a fun day of yarning around this past Saturday.

First, we met up at The Needletree, where I fell in love with several more balls of yarn that I managed to somehow leave in their cubbies. Take this yummy, oh-so-soft Sublime yarn, pictured above. I was actually able to let go of it and put it back where I found it. Yarn people, you know how hard it is to put back an uber-soft ball of yarn, right? Either way, I do know where to find it now...heehee.

Next, we headed out in search of food and hit up April's suggestion, Bellacino's, for some delicious pizza. It was good stuff! My sister and I actually split this tiny 8 inch pizza since we were having our Christmas dinner later that night. Plus, I had to save room for one last favorite snack of mine: the elusive Pistachio Latte.

So, we headed to one of my favorite haunts, Coffee Underground, which is the only coffee shop that seems to carry this concoction I so craved. Only problem was...it turns out someone discontinued the pistachio flavor. *sad face* After giving a pitiful look to the lady at the register (who I didn't realize at the time, but now think is the owner...oopsie), I ordered a Turtle Mocha - my other fave drink of theirs.

The Turtle Mocha is basically a Mocha with caramel syrup, and it's quite tasty. CU always does a great job with their froth, too - it's always nice and thick. Oh, and check out the art that was on the wall next to our "lounge" area (we were sitting on two couches). Isn't it pretty? So much nicer in person, really. The painting had all kinds of vibrant colors and even buttons, which added fun texture.

April and her daughter had hot chocolates and my sis had a Strawberry smoothie. With drinks in hand and cozy couches ready for the lounging, sis and I got started on our WIPs, and April started on a new WIP for her hubby.

Sis actually finished her WIP over coffee, but I was not so lucky. The black WIP on the table was mine and is going to be a scarf for my dad. Since we celebrated Christmas with my family this weekend, my scarf WIP was supposed to be complete by this afternoon, but I just didn't quite make it. Actually, I ran into a technical difficulty when I realized that one of the plys of my yarn was split. I'm planning on taking it to the yarn shop to see what they think - if I should keep going and hope the yarn doesn't break or cut out the broken yarn and tie a new piece of yarn on. I ended up wrapping the WIP - yarn, needles, and all - and let dad unwrap it today. He said it was the thought that counted, so at least he knows I tried. I'm hoping to have his scarf done before the weather starts warming up again. Wish me luck!

Anywho, I had a great time hanging out my bloggie buddy, April, her daughter, Bella, and my sis! We'll have to do this again soon, girls!

December 02, 2008

One good thing about holiday traveling, besides getting to hang out with friends and family, is getting to visit the shops, boutiques, restaurants, and other fun places you wouldn't normally be able to see on a regular work-week. I've been on a bit of a roll hitting up new yarn stores. Last time, I visited Yarns, Etc. in Chapel Hill, this time, I visited The Needletree in Greenville, SC.

I talked my sister into going to the yarn shop with me and we were both greeted with a happy yellow cottage and a friendly face in the window - see the "puppy"?

My favorite part of the shop was the cozy little fireplace. I think I'll bring a WIP with me next time I visit so I can warm up while I work.

Of course, they had a great selection of yarns, too. I didn't do much browsing as I was on a mission to find a specific color/type of yarn, which the nice shop owner helped me with. My sister searched for a nice crochet hat pattern and some yarn to use for the project. Oh and do you see that bin in the bottom left of the above photo?

Here's a closer look. Isn't it hilarious? I didn't browse in there, but overhead a man who reached in and found a luscious brown ball of yarn he was warming up to...till he found out it was $95 (it was made from bison or something).

Oh, and here's the friendly "puppy" who greeted us from the door. I put "puppy" in quotes because the "puppy" was a whopping 65 lbs! You'd never think (at least I didn't) that this "dog" was really only about eight months old!

Anywho, I'm hoping to hit up Greenville again before the year ends and when I do, I'll be showing up to this yarn shop with WIP in hand (and probably a coffee), ready to snuggle up next to the fireplace. Doesn't that sound like a lovely way to spend a winter afternoon?

November 26, 2008

I cannot take any credit for coming up with this idea, but can I tell you I saw the cutest way to organize knitting needles and crochet hooks? I saw this idea when I was visiting my local yarn store awhile back and knew I had to replicate the idea at home to keep my needles and hooks in order and where I could easily find them.

Take the glass container, tilt partially to the side, and carefully and very gently place a handful of smooth glass stones in the bottom, releasing the stones near the bottom of the container.

Continue to carefully add more and more stones to the container being careful to place the stones as close to the bottom of the container as possible. If you drop them in from high, you risk breaking/cracking the glass container.

When all the stones are in the glass container and fill the container about 5-6 inches from the bottom, stick your knitting needles, crochet hooks, scissors, pens, etc into the stones.

Voila! This is currently the "centerpiece" of my coffee table. I'm sure it will eventually move to the craft room, but it's pretty handy with the crafting season upon me.

November 25, 2008

I was thinking today that I should round up all my WIP's and take a photo of them just to show myself how many of them I actually have...and to prove that perhaps I should focus on finishing one of those WIP's rather than starting a new one.

Instead, I decided to start on a new scarf idea I have in mind for a Christmas present for someone. The scarf is a going to be a simple garter-stitched scarf that I'm planning to add lots of tassels to. I found this Paton's Melody Quick & Cozy yarn at the yarn shop, Yarns Etc., I visited this past weekend and thought it would make a great scarf present. Besides being a pretty cobalt blue, the yarn is also very soft and should knit up quickly since it's a pretty bulky-weight that I'm knitting on size 15 needles.

It's been almost a year since I've knit anything, so I stopped by the yarn shop tonight after work to get some quick knitting refreshers from the nice girl working tonight. Sadly, I needed help to remember how to cast on to make sure I was remembering the right way to knit and purl. The girl was very helpful and kind and luckily, I hadn't completely forgotten how to do these basic knitting techniques. It's like you always hear - knitting is just like riding a bicycle - you never quite forget, but sometimes you need a push in the right direction. At least this garter-stitch scarf should be good practice for me, eh? And since most of those other WIP's are non-Christmas presents, I'm going to worry about getting to those later...probably after the holidays.

November 23, 2008

My jewelry business (D Celestine) and love of beads of all shapes and sizes has sent me on many-a-trip to the local bead store of whichever city I'm in. My new passion for yarns now has me in search of the local yarn shops of whichever city I'm in. I took advantage of being out of town this past weekend to scout out the yarn shop of my MIL's town and found out about Yarns, Etc. through a quick google search.

Upon entering the store, I was immediately greeted with a friendly "Hello!" from the shop owner, Mary Stowe. Mary offered me a helping hand more than once while I browsed her beautiful collection of yarns in search of yummy strands for future Christmas presents. As usual, I fell in love with more yarns than I could get in one day.

I'd love to have a ball or two of this Nashua Handknits Natural Focus in Indigo (color NFW.0085).

I'd also like a couple balls of Nashua Handknits Sitar in Olive Tree (color NST.0771).

Oh, and I'd never heard of the Cuzco by Berroco, but Berroco is the brand of yarn I'm using for my ripple afghan and it's really great stuff! I'm sure this Cuzco is just as nice.

I'd like to make something nice, and knit, and lacy with this Zara Total Easy Care Merino Extra Fine in color 1653 - a black and white combo that would be so chic as a scarf.

I've been doing really good with the whole "self-restrain" thing and managed to only get three balls of yarn. Two, which I won't show for now and the one pictured above - Misti Alpaca - Hand Paint Chunky in the color Havasu - a beautiful colorway of browns, blues, turquoises, greens with hints of yellow and pink. I'm supposed to be making this as a present for Christmas, but I really want to keep it for myself...haha. At least I know where to get more should I decide I "need" some.

Oh, and can I just quickly share these sample afghans that grace the shop's couch? Mary knitted these with her own two hands, and I think they are fabulous! Aren't they gorge?!

November 08, 2008

It was another beautiful fall day here in the Carolinas, so I decided to take full advantage of it. I slept in a little - till about 9:30am and decided rather than making a pot of coffee first thing, I'd go straight to the yarn shop.

Of course, part of my reason for going straight to the yarn shop was b/c I could get my morning cuppa joe at the coffeshop next door and then head to the yarn shop. I ordered a pumpkin spice latte, which was so yummy and hot and what I thought to be a very fall-like drink.

With coffee in hand I found a cozy spot near two very nice ladies and my fave yarn instructor, Sandy. I say "yarn instructor" b/c she is an expert with all things yarn-y - knitting and crochet, mostly.

Here's a quick photo of one of the walls of yarn from my fave yarn shop, Charlotte Yarn. They recently moved to a new location and it's just so open and airy and warm and inviting. The shop has large windows that let in tons of natural light and there are chairs set-up through out the shop, welcoming yarn fans to kick back and work on their projects with other knit and crochet friends.

I gabbed quite a bit and made some new friends...I must have been there a couple hours...phew...how time flies when you're having fun! At least I managed to get some good progress done on my ripple afghan.

I also exerted extraordinary self-control by not buying a single ball of yarn the whole time I was there, even when this lovely basket of yarn was staring me down just next to my chair. I think the turquoise one on top was screaming at me a bit, but I put them all out of my head and kept rippling along.

But, alas, I knew I couldn't stay at the yarn store the entire day, so I headed off to a local shopping center to run errands. I picked up icing gel colors (for a baking experiment I made tonight - photos to come later), a couple donuts from a local bakery (b/c I just can't resist them), groceries for tonight's dinner, and a quick lunch from this hot dog vendor who I found out is a retired IT guy.

I ended up taking a couple hot dogs home to the hubby, too. The hot dogs were angus beef...have you ever heard of such a thing? Either way, they made a nice, quick, and cheap lunch for us today. It was $6 for three hot dogs, and we had some chips and mini-cokes back at the apartment.

After letting our food digest for a bit, we took Mr. Bails out for a walk. I must have taken about fifty photos from just our walk today, so I'll be posting those in a separate email...I'll try to get that up tonight. I'm going to work on posting stuff closer to when they actually happen - not sure how that's going to work out, but I'm going to try.

November 06, 2008

One of the things I really like about making things by hand, is that it really forces you to take your time and do things with care. I feel like I've lost myself a bit over the last couple years - lost organization - lost focus. I feel like I've spread myself so thin that I flail about and can't commit the time to everything I want to do, to do it all well. Sometimes, it seems like crochet is the only thing I can take my time with. I don't mean to complain - I'm sure you understand exactly where I'm coming from. It seems like everyone is so busy these days - we are all in the same boat. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I have some plans in the works to switch this blog up a little. Don't worry - I don't plan on making any huge changes, but rather, I'd like to add to what I've got going here. Let me explain some more...

I don't know if you get Real Simple, but I started a subscription with RS earlier this year, and I love it! RS has such good content and so many thought-provoking articles. I feel like they offer lots of good tips to help people stay grounded. In the November 2008 issue, they featured a story about gratitude - why it's good to be grateful and what other people are grateful for. They featured excerpts from the journals of four readers who wrote for a month about gratitude, which were all quite inspirational. I especially connected with Diana Geffner-Ventura's story. Diana said, "I feel like I'm not giving 100 percent to my business or my family," and her goal for her journal was to "regain equilibrium and feel inspired again." Wow, I'm right there with ya girlie! Her story made me think that perhaps I should use my blog to help with my quest for balance. So, that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to attempt to add a bit more content here and there related to regaining and maintaining balance. I think this will be a fun experiment...wish me luck! Oh, and in case you were curious about the RS Gratitude story, I found a piece of it online here (click).

Back to the crochet - I know you must think I put Bailey in all these couch-shots, but he is really just such a cuddler. When I get on the couch, he jumps up and lays down on my lap or right next to me. He likes to lay between me and the cushions when I'm crocheting. He'll even step over or even knock over books if they're "in his way." lol. The square pictured above is from 200 Crochet Blocks for Blankets, Throws, and Afghans: Crochet Squares to Mix and Match. I'm using the "Willow" square pattern and the new Red Heart Designer Sport yarn (with colors by Candi Jensen). I'm hoping to make enough of these to make an afghan for a friend for Christmas. I thought I started early on this project, but now it seems like Christmas is right around the corner...sheesh! Where does the time go? Anywho, before I freak out and try rushing through this project, I'm going to take a breath and take my time. Like I said, that's the good thing about crochet - you simply can't rush through it (at least I can't). I will carefully work my stitches, one at a time and work on enjoying doing things slowly. Ahh...I feel a little more relaxed just thinking about it. Ok, enough talking, I'm off to crochet!

November 04, 2008

I don't know if you've ever made a ripple blanket...or if you even crochet for that matter, but word on the street is that I will be sick of ripples by the time I'm done with this afghan. I think I'm in the honeymoon phase right now (on row 11 - 2 rows per ripple, that is) - so far, so good. I'm enjoying playing with the colors - watching one boring gray row get matched up with some other fun colors - seeing how they all mesh together.

I'm making my ripple blanket with Berroco Comfort yarn - a super soft yarn that is really nice to work with. The pattern I'm using actually calls for a DK weight (Comfort is worsted), but I figure maybe my afghan will just be slightly larger than it's supposed to be. I'm not a fan of measuring...and really...does an afghan have to a precise size if you're just going to cuddle with the puppy (or the hubby) on the couch with it?

I've been buying the yarns for my blanket during random trips to the yarn store - trying to remember each time what I already have in my stash and to visualize how the new colors I want to get will go with the ones I already have. I'm so glad I finally combined all my yarns into one bin so I can really see how everything is going together. I've actually carted the entire bin into the yarn shop the past two weekends so I could see where colors needed to be swapped out or added. If you're working on a blanket with lots of colors, I highly recommend bringing all your yarns into the store so you can see if that new pink color really does go with all the other colors you've worked into your creation.

Anywho, you guys know I've been working on organizing and getting things together. I think I'm going to take a bigger step towards attaining some sort of harmony in my life...or perhaps, even several small steps towards bettering myself. One simple thing I'd like to do is work on "me" time. I've been trying to do a wee bit of crochet or reading every day...just to wind down from the day's craziness. I've been trying to work on this task for the past couple weeks, but some days just seem to slip away from me with to-do's and what not. In fact...it's getting late here, so I'm off to work a few ripply-stitches and hit the sack. Nighty-night!

November 01, 2008

Earlier this year, I fell in love with the gorgeous ripple blanket I saw over at Posy Gets Cozy and decided that when my crochet skills were more up to par (or when I felt daring enough) that I would try to make one for myself.

So Bails and I curled up on the couch with Alicia's suggested ripple pattern in the Vintage Crochet book and got started.

Here's what I do to my crochet projects because I can't count. I mean, I can count...I'm just not good at it. lol. I like to say I have the memory of a goldfish. (You think this is messy...you should see me playing tennis! lol) Anywho, I think just don't pay attention when I'm counting, and I lose track of what number I'm on and it's just not pretty. So, I came up with a solution. Here's my trick to counting crochet stitches: I count in smaller numbers (10's and 20's) and mark those groups with stitch holders. I add up the stitch holders and multiply by the number of stitches in each group and I have all the stitches counted - easy as pie! It really is easier - especially when you've got a lot of chain stitches to start with.

October 12, 2008

Why is everyone around me having babies?! What in the world!? Good thing I have a good booty pattern b/c I'd never be able to keep up with all these baby gifts if I had to make something bigger. I swear, I have become a baby-booty-making-machine! lol.

And, I've got another pair in the works, plus the yarn needed to make a fourth. Phew! I have been giving my crochet hook a run for its money! lol

These floral booties were actually made with the same yarn used for the Dinosaur Booties, as well as the same basic booty pattern. Since these booties were for a girl, I decided to forego the animal attachments and add flowers instead. These flowers are from Nicky Epstein's lovely Crocheted Flowers book. I hope the family enjoys these!

September 04, 2008

I've been hard-pressed lately to find time to crochet, but I'm working on squeezing it in here and there. I managed to make these adorable (at least I think they're cute) dinosaur booties a few weeks ago as a gift. Most people couldn't tell they were supposed to be dinosaurs, but that's ok. The mom who received them knew exactly what they were and that's good enough for me! lol

I worked on these over several weeks - a few rounds once in awhile, as time permitted. I was so happy to see the finished result - I love seeing how things that are pieced together start shaping into what you imagined them to be. When they were finally complete - all sewed up with the eyes and scales - I ran to show the hubby who said, "Hey...you made some lizard-things." Nice, dear...lol. "They're dinosaurs!" I shouted! "Oh yea...I see..." Sheesh...boys...

Another friend of mine found out recently that she was preggers. When she told me about it, I was so excited to make something cool. Lucky her, though...she works at the library and all the cute older librarians showered her with handmade goodies. I can't compete with their experience! My stuff will look crappy next to theirs! Maybe I'll buy her something cute, I've wondered. But, she told me the other day that she didn't have any booties, so maybe I'll make one of the other animals shown in the book. She's waiting to find out the baby's sex, but I'm hoping for a girl. :)

I'm also hoping for more free time as the year goes by so I can start on my first crocheted-blanket. I want something warm and cozy to cuddle up with when winter comes. I'm eyeing patterns in my books and I think I have one picked out, but you guys know I'll tell you when I figure that all out.

January 30, 2008

Salut, mes amis! I did it! I finished another project...and you guys thought I never would. Ha! I showed you! What's that? You did think I'd finish a project? Ok, well then...I guess you showed me...Ha!?

Anywho, I finished making the Polly Beret (an original Alicia Paulson design). It was such a fun pattern and the finished product is super-cute. If you know how to crochet, you should get this pattern when it goes on sale...I'm a beginner, and I made my way through it, so any level crocheter should enjoy it. I even got to wear my beret to work yesterday...my little creation has seen daylight! I noticed the other day...it's the strangest thing, really...something about this beret is making me kiss-y.

Maybe because a beret is French and French people like to kiss? Berets are French, right? And French people like to kiss, right?

I don't know for certain, but I do know this beret is making Bailey pretty kiss-y, too!

Although, now that I think about it, the kids on the playground used to call me "The Kiss-y Girl." Yea...I chased the boys around the playground and tried to kiss them. We're talking 3rd...maybe 4th grade. Pretty embarrassing stuff, huh? Good thing we moved to a different state in 4th grade, and no one remembers me as that any more. How hard would that be to live down?

January 28, 2008

I don't know if you noticed, but I feel like I haven't posted about crafting in forever. You probably think that I've been so busy with all this cooking lately that I haven't had time, which is partially true, but I've been working on a top secret project. Yes, it's classified and confidential, so you may read this post, but if you do, your computer will blow up in approximately 5...4...3...2...

Ok, so I'm bluffing...and ok, ok, the project is not top secret, but sometimes you can't just post stuff w/o asking permision, ya know? Now that I've made such a big deal, you may be disappointed to learn that I've been working on only one small project. I'm currently testing a crochet pattern for Alicia (Posie Gets Cozy), which is really not so "small" for me and is something I actually think is pretty darn cool - top secret or not.

I've been working on her pattern, Polly, which is for the cutest crocheted beret you will ever see. I started on MLK day and have worked a couple rounds every night since. I finished the hat portion last night, but need to tuck in all the tails and make the top loop. I'm also supposed to "block it lightly" but I'm not exactly sure what that means, so I need to research (read google it).

The pattern is so cute and has these nifty little "puff stitches." I'd tell you more about them, but seeing as how they're "top secret," I think I'll just mention them...for your safety, of course. What's that? You don't buy that whole top secret thing? Ok, that's fine...especially since I already told you I was bluffing, but seriously, believe me when I say that if you are into crochet, you will love this pattern. It's still in test mode, so it's not available for purchase yet (that I know of), but I'll give you guys a head's up with Alicia adds this gorgeous pattern to her web site.

Oh, and the yarn is just so pretty - look at that yummy red color! I just got the yarn the pattern recommended - CashSoft DK. This is my first time working with CashSoft and it's so nice. I'm such a yarn snob...I'm a total sucker for all those luxe and uber-soft yarns in the yarn shops. I can't wait to get my first ball of cashmerino...mmm. If yarn is your thing, what's your favorite yarn?

January 20, 2008

I know I mentioned I like to juggle projects before, but look, I finished something! What? You don't believe me? Well, just scroll down to the next photo...seriously! :)

I got this gorgeous, super chunky, 100% pure new wool in a cream/gray/black colorway from a grab bag in a local yarn shop. I purchased two balls of this yarn, originally marked right around $16 per ball, for a mere $10. Oh yea! The yarn was almost a boucle-style yarn, and it knit up pretty well. I just did a simple seed stitch since the yarn was so chunky, and you could hardly see the stitches.

I was running a bit late on the project and actually had to finish it up while my mom was around, but she didn't care (at least she said she didn't). Maybe she enjoyed seeing the process? Who knows? I think it looks pretty good, and it's definitely going to help keep her warm! This "new wool" is serious stuff!

January 17, 2008

As usual, I'm juggling about a bajillion (it's a real #, I swear!) projects at one time, which means that each one takes longer than it's supposed to. Maybe I have craft-ADD? Does such a thing exist? I'm not sure, but I do know that it's actually kinda fun to juggle a few projects at one time. A couple rows here, a couple rounds there, a sewn zip-pocket here, a baby quilt there...ok, ok, so I don't just casually make baby quilts, but I did make one recently! I get credit for that, right? :)

I saw a sample of the most beautiful knit beret-style hat at my local yarn shop and I knew I had to make it. It's made with baby alpaca and was designed by a local kintter. Having just started knitting this past November, I wasn't sure how long to wait or how much experience I'd need, but I asked my instructor, Sandy, about the hat and she said she thought I could do it. I love her for her constant support and how she ignores the rules for beginners and experienced knitters alike. She doesn't say, "Oh, you've been knitting for only a month, so you should only knit these five things." She has complete faith in your ability, no matter how limited, and will encourage you and help you with any project you wish to take on.

I've been working on this hat for awhile now - again, not because I'm that slow...although, I am a rather slow knitter, but because I've been working on this project along with quite a few others (at least 5 I can count off the top of my head). I brought it into the yarn shop recently to work on it and a woman sitting near me saw me working on it and said, "Oh, you're making the Jasmine? I hear that one's hard!" Gee, thanks, lady...lol. I'm not too worried, because with Sandy on my team, I am as fearless as she is! I just need to make more time to work on it.

You may not be able to see much about the project from the photo above, but there are two sets of round needs because I'm switching from one to another. I've just finished the ribbing that will be the edging of the hat and now I'm working on decreasing towards the top. Switching from one round needle to another hasn't been so bad, so long as you can keep your extra needles out of the way, but at some point, I'm supposed to go to four double-ended needles. Yikes! Good thing I know where Sandy works!

January 15, 2008

What is it about the yarn shop that makes you feel all warm & cozy inside? Hmm...maybe the fact that you can use the yarns to make something (a sweater, an afghan) to keep you warm and cozy? I don't know. But, what I do know is that I love my little trips to yarn boutiques. You probably know exactly the type of yarn shop I'm talking about and if you're lucky, you have a great one in your hometown. If you don't know what I'm talking about then you just don't know what you're missing! Quick, schedule a trip to visit one now!

For me, a trip to the yarn store is a way to escape the craziness of my home. My self-imposed craziness, that is. I've spent the last week or so working on clearing the clutter I've created through my insatiable lust for craft supplies and my ability to fall head over heels in love with every craft I meet (thus, warranting additional trips to buy new craft supplies). Yes, by going to the yarn store, I take a breath and ooh and aah over the yummy cashmerinos and alpacas the yarn shop has to offer, gently touching each ball of color that catches my eye.

Here's a fun yarn shop I like to frequent - it's called Charlotte Yarn

This is the main room where they keep a lot of their alpaca yarns, chunky malabrigo (sp?) and lots of their new goodies, fresh off the delivery truck.

Doesn't seeing all these yarns make you want to get your needles and hooks out?

This is the "baby room." Not really, but that's what I call it b/c they keep all the yarns for their baby items in here, along with some other fun wool and cotton yarns.

And, then we have the back room, where you can see many of the samples they have out. Patterns are available for each item hanging, so they're great inspirations you can actually make, should you be interested. There are samples hanging in every room, along every wall, but this room is my fave because there are several comfy seats back here so you can catch up with the girls and knit and crochet to your heart's content.

The back room is also where they keep all the delicious Debbie Bliss cashmerino and CashSoft yarns...mmmm. I still don't have any cashmerino, but I'm seeing some in my future soon!

Do you have a yarn shop like this near you? Where's your favorite yarn shop?